


As The World Falls Down

by timeforacuppathen



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship Bughead, Sexual Assault, back at it again with that angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 05:24:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13024140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeforacuppathen/pseuds/timeforacuppathen
Summary: SHE'S BACK!With more angst, no less. Sorry about that.Apparently I have a thing for Betty falling apart and Jughead snugglin' her tears away. Whoops.One day I'll switch things up, I promise. But for now, ENJOY!(title from the Bowie song of the same name, from the Labyrinth soundtrack)By the way, I officially despise season two and am pretending that it doesn't exist. Let me know if you're with me on that. Also, as ever, please do not hesitate with feedback!Much love xoxo





	As The World Falls Down

**Author's Note:**

> SHE'S BACK!
> 
> With more angst, no less. Sorry about that.
> 
> Apparently I have a thing for Betty falling apart and Jughead snugglin' her tears away. Whoops.  
> One day I'll switch things up, I promise. But for now, ENJOY! 
> 
> (title from the Bowie song of the same name, from the Labyrinth soundtrack)
> 
> By the way, I officially despise season two and am pretending that it doesn't exist. Let me know if you're with me on that. Also, as ever, please do not hesitate with feedback!
> 
> Much love xoxo

_But I'll be there for you_

_As the world falls down_

_\- David Bowie/Jareth the Goblin King, Labyrinth_

 

 

 

 

"Betty's been a while in the bathroom", he mutters to no one in particular, certain that the thumping music in the bar will drown him out anyway. Yet, somehow, he catches the attention of the smirking Veronica next to him.

"Aw, missing your girlfriend, Boo Radley?"

"Shut up, she's not my girlfriend."

"Yet. Patience, Jughead. Also, y'know it would help if you actually... oh gee, I don't know, _made a move_ , right?"

 

 

Jughead's had a crush on Betty since she moved into the apartment across from him about a month ago. Although, 'crush' probably doesn't quite cover the heart-quivering rush of goosebumps he experiences every time she meets his eyes or giggles at his sarcastic musings.

To most, she would appear to be everything he isn't. He wears his darkness like an armour, having been left behind one too many times, he wears a seemingly permanent scowl to keep people at arm's length. Masochistic and self destructive, he knows, but people can't hurt you if you never let them in to start with, right?

She, however... she is bright sunshine and vanilla hair and strawberry lips and blushed cheeks, floral sundresses with soft pastel lace-ups.

(God, he has it bad.)

But, he knows Betty has darkness too. They had each bared their souls to one another one evening when they had quarantined themselves in her apartment after catching a rather sucky bout of the flu at the same time.  
He's the only one who knows to hold her hands when they curl into themselves, about the older scars and the cuts that she puts there when everything gets too much.  
He knows she hears her mother's biting voice every time she sits herself down to eat, and he can see in her eyes the constant struggle she feels to ignore it.

 

_Elizabeth, should you be eating that?_

_Oh, sweetheart, that skirt used to fit you so nicely... Maybe you should run around the block for a while._

_You really shouldn’t get so carried away with tasting whilst you cook, dear, you’re looking a little too full around the hips._

 

He knows all the things that haunt her every waking minute. And she knows his.  
She knows that he can't stand to be around drunk people because it throws him straight back into his childhood skin, watching his father stumble through the kitchen in the early hours of mornings.  
She knows he rubs at the back of his neck when he's anxious, and that the ever present crown-like wool hat on his head gives him a sense of safety that he has trouble feeling otherwise.

 

 

So when he vacates the crowded bar towards the bathrooms to check on her, he could never have prepared himself for how his blood runs cold when he finds her.

 

 

There, in the deserted hallway where the doors to the bathrooms are located, she is pinned to the wall at the far end, a stranger's leg shoved in between hers and his hand covering her mouth. His entire body is flush against hers, and she whimpers and shoves desperately at his chest to no avail. She is weak on her legs and her body sags against the wall as she sobs weakly beneath his hand, which suddenly pushes harder against her face and knocks her head abruptly into the wall as his free hand snakes its way under her skirt and grabs at her roughly.

 

_"Ssh, you’ll like this, baby. Teach you to be a little kinder to me in the future, huh? Yeah, that’s right, fuckin’ bitch.”_

 

Jughead, having been frozen to the spot in pure, blood curdled horror for the last few seconds, suddenly throws himself back into the present at the sound of her muted scream from beneath his palm.

Without his brain registering any sort of decision, he rips the fire extinguisher off the wall and sprints to the opposite end of the hall, bringing it down with a satisfying crack against the piece of scum's skull.

He falls like a sack of potatoes to the ground, blood seeping out of a crack in his head, and Betty weakly kicks herself away from him before sinking limply into the adjoined wall. Her dress falls off one shoulder and the cup of her bra peeks through it, her chest heaving as she stares at her attacker.

 

 

She rakes her fingers through her hair and chokes out a few weak sobs as Jughead sinks onto his knees just in front of her, afraid to touch her. He extends his arm out slowly, palm face up in invitation.

"Betty?"

His voice is so soft he can barely hear it, but her head snaps up at the sound of it. There are smears of crimson across her face from where her bloody palms have transferred onto it, and her eyes water as they meet his.

"J-Juggie..."

"Ssh, it's alright Betts, c'mere. I got you."

 

 

She lets herself fall forward into his arms, her entire body trembling as she sobs heavily into his shirt. His arms wrap fully around her, encasing her and sheltering her. One hand holds her head to his chest and the other rubs steadily across her back, cradling her as close to him as possible.

"I... I didn't want to give him my n-number", she stutters, her voice muffled against his chest.

He squeezes his eyes shut and focusses on breathing through the rage boiling inside him as the memory of the attacker’s unwelcome hands flits through his mind. It's then that he really considers the man laying unconscious behind him, and he realises he should probably call the authorities.

Even if Betty didn't want to report this, they should probably get him to a hospital before Jughead was being charged with murder, as much as he wishes he was able to leave the psychopath to die.

He rubs soothing circles over her back and tells her as such, in a voice as gentle as the anger in him would allow. He feels her nod into his neck, and he pulls out his phone and dials 911. He is immediately put on hold, and takes the opportunity to ask Betty what she wants to do.

"Do you want to talk to the police about this, Betts?" he begins softly, smoothing his fingers through her damp hair. He feels her body tense up in his arms and quickly adds, "It's totally your call. If you don't want to, no one is going to make you, Betty. And no one is going to blame you, either."

Her body relaxes somewhat and she lets out a shaky breath, gently nodding into his neck again.

She sniffs. "Okay. Yeah, I'll talk to them."

 

 

With the ambulance and the police on the way, he resumes cradling Betty against his body as she continues trembling, though her sobs have given way to silent tears slipping down her face. He repositions himself to slump his back against the wall and she curls herself into his lap, her head on his chest as he presses a kiss to her temple.

They sit like this for some time, saying nothing.

 

 

"Will you s-stay with me?"

Her tiny voice jostles them out of the heavy silence and he pushes his head off the wall to meet her eyes. She is looking up at him with her watered down green eyes, red-rimmed and eyelashes saturated and stuck together.

"W-when they get here, I mean. Will you stay with me?"

By way of reply, he simply cradles her face in his hands and kisses her forehead, stroking his thumbs across her cheeks. He nods gently and reaches up to his own head, tugging his hat off and slipping it onto her head instead. She closes her eyes and smiles softly at him and brings her head back down to settle against him.

"Always."

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Later, they learn that Betty's case is in the best possible shape due to the authorities actually having the attacker in custody, not to mention the CCTV footage that leaves very little to the imagination. Jughead will not face charges due to the nature of his involvement showing no motive of malice. The single blow to the attacker's head was not enough to cause serious long-term damage, and the small crack in his skull can heal. Betty comes away with bruised wrists and a couple scathes, and of course, a somewhat beaten down emotional state.

Jughead carries her back to their building, shoots a nondescript text to Veronica explaining that she got sick so he offered to walk her home, and brings her into her apartment. He sits her on the lid of the toilet and takes her makeup off gently and then helps her out of her dress, praying that she couldn't see the dust of pink on his cheeks at her newly exposed flesh.

She winces as she pulls her bra off and wrestles a baggy tshirt over her head, and then he helps her into her bed.

"I'll be right across the hall if you need anything, okay?" he whispers as he strokes her hair gently, and as he turns slightly he feels her fingers wrap around his wrist, causing him to turn back again.

Her eyes bore into his, wide and pleading, and he's not even sure he hears her right when she whispers, "Stay."


End file.
